8 NEW INVESTIGATION'S ON RICKETS AND JIACIIO;^ AJIIA. 



and the sphincters of anus and bladder ending sometimes in 

 recovery, but more often in death by exhaustion, loss of appetite 

 and inability to get nourishment. 



In fact, the disease called by the misnomer " Rickets " has 

 nothing to do with the bone disorder known as "Rachitis," but 

 presents exactly the symptoms of spinal INIeningitis, or pro- 

 gressive paralysis. This diagnosis is confirmed by the presence 

 of an effusion inside of the Pia j\Iater of the spinal marrow. 

 Now, sporadic or truly idiopathic spinal Meningitis is a disease 

 for which cattle show a very pronounced disposition in all 

 countries, and which has been seen by me in Europe many times, 

 but never in an epidemic form. On the contrary the wobbles in 

 Australia have mostly been observed as epidemics attacking 

 many individuals on one run. 



The Australian disease called AVobbles, therefore, can only 

 be:— 



(1) Either idiopathic spinal Meningitis induced by the same 



cause in a number of cattle living under the same 

 circumstances. 



(2) Or, it is symptomatic spinal Meningitis caused by some 



microbic infection without being contagious by ordinary 

 means similar to Malaria in man. 



(3) Or, it is symptomatic spinal Meningitis caused by some 



contagium animatum spreading from one individual to 

 another. 



Already, many years ago, Dr. T. L. Bancroft, now of Bur- 

 pengary, a very skilled bacteriologist, has worked on the disease 

 searching for a micro-organism, but in every case he got a 

 negative result. It seems lik"ly, therefore, that the wobbles have 

 nothing to do with infection or contagion, still negative results 

 are not strictly and definitely proving. How long was for 

 instance the microbe of tuberculosis looked after till it was 

 really found ? Did not Schulerin 1877 publish a book, Avhere he 

 is of the houd ri<h' opinion to have discovered a Micrococcus as 

 the true cause of Tuberculosis ? ; and how that discovery ran 

 through the periodicals of that time! 



